Disk drives are information storage devices that use magnetic media to store data. Referring to FIG. 1, a traditional disk drive includes a magnetic disk 101 and a drive arm 105 for driving a HGA 106 with a slider 103 mounted thereon. The disk 101 is mounted on a spindle motor 104 which causes the disk 101 to spin. A primary actuator, such as voice-coil motor (VCM) 102 is provided for controlling the motion of the drive arm 105 and, in turn, controlling the slider 103 to move from track to track across the surface of the disk 101, thereby enabling the slider 103 to read data from or write data to the disk 101. In operation, a lift force is generated by the aerodynamic interaction between the slider 103 and the spinning magnetic disk 101. The lift force is opposed by equal and opposite spring forces applied by the suspension of the HGA 106 such that a predetermined flying height above the surface of the spinning disk 101 is maintained over a full radial stroke of the drive arm 106.
However, the components in the disk drive unit, such as the HGA is easy to generate particles during operation. As is known to all, the generated particles are prone to deposit on air bearing surface (ABS) of the slider when the slider flying on the disk. Such particle deposition will greatly affect the slider to read from/write to data information to the disk, in some circumstance, may damage the slider or the disk.
Hence it is desired to provide a HGA having a particle filter device, and a disk drive with such a HGA which can overcome the foregoing drawbacks of the related art.